Change of Heart
by Ryouko Akizakura
Summary: Erza has been feeling strange that whole day. It all started with those moments of closeness with Gray, and since then, she hasn't been able to come back down. Is her own loneliness responsible? Or her own heart? Grayza. I do not own Fairy Tail. R&R.


**Author's note**: Well, this came out better than I had envisioned. I'm happy with this one, although some of the characters, if not all of them, are OOC. Anyway, this is the Grayza fanfic I was talking about on my profile, and this is the result of boredom, as well as not being able to focus on anything other than Fairy Tail. It's just as bad as SasuSaku used to be. Due to the fact that "Dirty Laundry" is pissing me off, I will _not_ be working on it for some time. I'm going to focus on other animes instead of Naruto for now. It will get finished, but, just not right now. Well, I've said enough. I will _not _be adding chapters to this, due to the fact that its a one-shot. Sorry everyone.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Fairy Tail, or anything else you may find that's obviously not mine. Let me put to you simply. If I owned Fairy Tail, it wouldn't have been Jellall(Spelling?) who Erza was hugging in the Tower of Heaven when the Etherion came down. That simple.

* * *

Gray Fullbuster. That's all I could think about; His comforting smile, the frosty glint in his eyes. That's all my mind was willing to focus on.

"Erza, do you like Gray?" Lucy asked as we walked toward her house, carrying groceries in our arms as we strolled down the street. The sun was bright and warm, lighting up my arms and legs as the luminous rays touched them. I felt my cheeks start to burn. _Not_ from the sun.

"Uh…Of course I do! He's my friend." I replied, giving her an honest glance. Lucy lifted an eyebrow.

"I don't think so." She answered, her lip curling up into a smirk. _She must be thinking about Gray and I's ALMOST kiss. Oh joy. _

"Really? Gray and I are best friends. Just like you and Natsu." Lucy nodded, not catching the hint.

"Best friends don't try to kiss each other, Erza." My cheeks flamed at the memory.

"Well, uh, you see, uh…LUCY!" I cried, shutting my eyes tightly. Lucy smirked.

"You sure, Erza?" She asked smugly, as my cheeks flushed hotly. _Damn you, Lucy Heartfillia. _

"I'm sure." I answered, smiling softly. _He was so close to me…_The wind ruffled my long scarlet hair, as I blinked my amber eyes.

Gray had never been that close to me. Never before had my face been that close to his. It was embarrassing, yet invigorating. I often wondered what it would be like to get that close to him. To be able to feel his forehead against mine. My cheeks flushed, turning a bright red. Worst of all, I had been lying on top of him. Natsu had thought it would be funny to trip me, and stuck his foot into my path. One second I was falling toward Gray, the next second, I was on top of him, our eyes wide, our lips centimeters away from each other.

I had barely been able to hold myself up, my arms shaking from the shock. But, despite my unavoidable weakness, I had managed to keep myself from lying on him completely. It was an awkward moment between Gray and I, but when it was happening, I felt alive. I couldn't explain this feeling that surged through my veins, combusting everything in its path. It felt like fire. Warm, blossoming fire. It consumed everything, shattered everything. It ripped my tears and pain from my body cleanly, leaving nothing behind. I was alive.

My lip curled up, as my right hand clenched, magic and fire roaring through me. I was alive and strong. For the first time, I felt alive, like I actually had a heart. _Gray…I…Thank you. _Lucy looked over at my smiling red face.

"You like him, you like him!" She teased, smiling brightly. I swung my head toward her, anger rising in me.

"Just SHUT UP already!" I cried, lifting my right fist up. Lucy backed away, holding her bag of groceries in front of herself protectively.

"Geez, Erza. Calm down!" I snarled air out of my nose, beyond pissed.

"Dispense with saying I like someone that I don't! Gray is my best friend. Nothing more." I answered angrily. Lucy smiled.

"You like him, you like him." She taunted. I snorted.

"Cut it out." I heard Lucy gulp at my dark GLARE.

"Alright. S-Sorry Erza." I smiled, and nodded.

"It's okay." I replied, walking a little faster. Lucy held her bag a little more securely, and followed after me. I watched my red hair blow in the wind alongside my face, my amber eyes wide.

I never really noticed how pretty it actually was. It looked just like a fire. My heart pounded once as the warm, blossoming fire made itself known, combusting my heart in seconds. My cheeks flamed bright red.

"Lucy…" I started, looking up at the sky with grave eyes. _She was right. She was right. She was right. Damn it. _Lucy looked at me with a knowing glance. _Damn it, damn it, damn it. _

"Yes, Erza? Confessing so soon?" She asked, leaning toward me with her hands behind her back innocently. I felt warmth surge through my chest as Gray's shocked, yet entranced look swam in front of my eyes. Pink dusting his cheeks, his bangs blowing into his eyes, his lips parted centimeters below mine, black irises soft and gentle, fathomless. All and all, that face made my heart swell whenever I saw it.

"You know, I think you might be right." I replied, watching the cloud whisper across the sky tenetively. Lucy threw her hands into the air and jumped.

"YAY!" She cheered, then ran forward toward a shape I couldn't really see. _It better not be who I think it is. _

"Lucy!" I cried, running toward her, holding my groceries tightly. Lucy kept going, running toward that shape.

"Gray! Erza likes you! A LOT!" Gray turned around, and gave her an annoyed look.

"Of course she does, she's my best friend. Where've you been?" He asked, blinking a few times. My heart raced as I caught sight of Gray, my throat convulsing on itself. He noticed my weakness, and took a few steps toward me.

"Erza, are you feeling okay?" He asked, looking me up and down. I nodded quickly, lifting my palms up and waving them in the air in an effort to draw attention away from my steadily reddening cheeks.

"Oh yeah, I'm _great_. Just helping Lucy with carrying her groceries home, that's all." I replied, laughing it off. Lucy and Gray gave me a few weird glances, almost like they weren't buying it.

"Did she take one of Juvia's potions again?" Gray asked, lifting his thumb up toward me. Lucy put her hand in front of her mouth as she leaned toward Gray's ear, lowering her voice.

"I don't know. But anyway, Erza really, _really_ likes you." Lucy replied, her lip curling up, the side that was facing me.

I felt my temper start to rise, as the wind began to blow even harder than usual. The world was about to end, as my anger reached the level of the apocalypse, about to wreck havoc on the world around me.

I'd always been like this, especially since I arrived at Fairy Tail, my makeshift family. No. They weren't makeshift. They _were_ my family now. I loved them like a family, and I would proudly lay down my life to allow them to live. They deserve it after all. They all deserved to live.

I lifted my hand to my heart, wincing as my forearm protested slightly. Gray had just helped me take my bandages off of my wounds from that visit to the Tower of Heaven this morning, and my arm was already protesting. I closed my right eye in pain as my right hand flew up toward where the pain was coming from, holding it gently. I sighed as the memory of this morning spun in front of my eyes, my irises focusing on Gray's.

**F L A S H B A C K S T A R T**

"Erza, wake up. I have to take your bandages off." I opened my eyes slowly, seeing black hair and black eyes close to my face. A bit _too_ close. I yawned and stretched, earning a screech of pain from my shoulder.

"Urk…" I flinched, setting off a chain reaction in my collarbone, my right hand flying up to soothe it, my arm beginning to hurt. I was beyond broken. I was in no shape to walk around or move anywhere. With this pain erupting all over my body, I wouldn't be able to move normally for about a week or so. I smirked. _So much for being strong. _Gray grabbed my hand from my collarbone, and laid it down gently at my side, replacing it with his. Tiny particles, like pieces of ice, little fine shavings of it, shimmered off of his hand, chilling the pained spot on my collarbone slowly as his hand got colder, acting like somewhat of an ice pack. I closed my eyes, the pain going away slowly.

"Thank you, Gray." I murmured, flicking my fingers at my sides slightly. Gray's answering smile dazzled me.

"No problem." He answered, smiling brighter.

It lit up the corners of his face, the same face that held sadness, melancholy, lament, and other agonized emotions so well. It was like the sun, the only light in this room we were sitting in. It bright fire back into my eyes, warmed them up from their normal terror hardened glaze. It was beautiful.

His smile curved up his lips gently, his black eyes, which normally drooped as Natsu liked to point out time and time again, sparkled in the light that lopsided smile created, gracing my amber irises with their loveliness. Not even my artificial eye could withstand this brightness, this warmth, this luminosity.

The gentle brush of icy dust on my cheeks woke me up, as Gray lifted his hand from my collarbone, and started unwrapping me. I sat up slowly, flinching and wincing in pain, keeping my left eye firmly shut, but Gray's presence was enough to provide comfort, to soothe this raging pain that roared throughout my entire body. Once I got settled, he gently lifted the edge of the bandage off of my wrist, and let his ice magic roam, the ice particles chilling my skin soothingly, trying to keep this process as painless as possible.

I smiled at his thoughtfulness. _He didn't use to be this gentle…Gray, you've turned out pretty well, haven't you? _Gray looked over at me from the corner of his eye, and turned his head in my direction, slightly confused.

"Does it hurt?" He asked, his hands stopping in their tracks, waiting for my response. I shook my head, and flicked my fingers on the hand he was working on.

"It's fine. You can continue." I replied, leaning forward to watch him. My collarbone tensed up, a flicker of pain flashing through my neck area, as I flinched and winced. Gray's eyes flashed toward me.

"Take it easy, will you? Don't be so rough." He scolded, lifting my left arm into the air, resting it in his left hand tenderly. I nodded, and sighed.

"Sorry." I answered, closing my eyes slightly. Gray snorted.

"Just don't make any sudden moves, alright? The nurse told me to keep you still while I did this. Apparently you're going to hurt for a little while yet, but, other than the few spurts of pain, you should be okay." Gray explained, carefully unwrapping my arm. I nodded.

"I see. But she discharged me, right?" I asked, blinking my soft eyes open. Gray smirked, and nodded.

"Yeah, she said you're free to go whenever you're ready." He replied. I smiled, and sighed.

"Thank goodness. I was starting to miss everyone." I answered, as he let go of my left arm, his chilled fingers lingering on my wrist as he let me lift up it up on my own, to make sure it didn't hurt to move it. I waved it around a few times, no pain flashing through it, as I gently laid it back down on the bed. I stared at it for a few seconds, watching Gray's fingers slightly fidget and shake on my wrist, their icy touch both soothing, and exciting. I smiled, and lifted my right hand, crossing it over my body and lying it on his hand carefully, trying to avoid any unnecessary pain. Gray's face turned toward me in an instant, his eyes widening as I smiled at him.

"Do you want me to unwrap the rest of the bandages?" Gray shook his head, lifting his hand out from under mine, and starting on my other arm tenderly.

"No, it's okay. I'll do it." I nodded, and let him get to work, Gray lifting my right arm up and resting in his left palm, removing the bandages as gently as possible. Warmth surged through me, as I watched his frosted fingers peel the medical tape off of my skin, no pain erupting from the injured areas. I sighed.

"I'm sorry for causing you all so much trouble, Gray. I should've been able to take care of it myself…" I whispered quietly, lowering my head. I heard a low sigh escape Gray's lips.

"You didn't cause us any trouble at all, Erza. You're our friend, as well as a part of Fairy Tail. We weren't just going to let you die." My scarlet hair fell over my shoulders, brushing past my temple.

"But if you'd have left when I told you to, you guys wouldn't have gotten hurt in the first place." I pointed out in a low voice, shame flowing through me. Ice cold fingers pulled my chin back up.

"Erza, its fine. We're alive, and that's all that matters." He looked me directly in the eyes, those black irises crippling my resolve, stopping my heart in the process. I nodded.

"If you say so." I replied, as he finished with my arm, and moved his hands toward my neck slowly. He gave me a quick glance, unsure.

"Do you mind if I…?" He started, his eyes flicking from my neck, and back to my face. I lifted my right hand up off the surface of the bed where he'd gently laid it, and twirled it slowly, smiling crookedly.

"Feel free." Gray cracked a grin.

"Sure." He pulled at the edge, and started peeling it off slowly, making sure that he didn't make my collarbone flash with pain like it had been. I felt him wrap his left arm around my back and pull me toward him, going all the way around my neck, brushing the back of my head as he unwound the bandage slowly, blinking his eyes as he watched his hand go in a circle around me, holding me against him softly.

"Okay, now lean back." I complied, and he unwrapped it more, moving a little faster. Our eyes locked as he made it to my collarbone, and I screwed them shut, bracing myself for the pain, that single stab of pain that would shoot through my chest any second.

No pain came. Only the icy touch of Gray's fingers against my skin as they grazed across it like a gentle breeze, skillfully unwrapping the bandage that was tightly woven around my collarbone without hurting me. A few seconds later, he had one more circlet left. He pulled me against him, going around my shoulders carefully, as I watched, my brown eyes comatose. I felt a light fluttering at my chest, as Gray's hands stopped, resting on my breast plate lightly, shaking. I focused on the tiny little hill that could be seen before it curved downward, and looked up at Gray, catching my breath.

I could feel the air between us change, as his icy cold fingers chilled my collarbone, each shallow breath raising my chest up, hitting the bottom of his palm, freezing the skin cells his palm touched. He stared at me, a red blush covering his face, mine echoing his, the wind that blew in from the open window ruffling our hair, blowing the rose petals off of the flower itself, and they flew across my cheeks, my temples, twining themselves into my scarlet hair. Gray slowly lifting his hand away from my collarbone, his eyes never leaving mine, deep and intense.

I reached up with my left hand, and grabbed his in mine, holding it where it was, not breaking our eye contact. Gray flinched in surprise, as my lips parted slightly, our faces slowly drifting closer. They moved toward each other at the rate of a snail, agonizingly slow. I didn't understand this rush of emotion that feel through my veins, lighting them up with warm brightness. Gray looked down at my hand, and I pulled my hand off of his, blushing intensely.

"Sorry." I murmured, as Gray turned toward the window, his left side facing me.

"I'll wait outside, okay?" He asked, standing up from the bed, and walking toward the door after throwing me an expectant glance from over his shoulder. I got up slowly, swinging my legs over carefully, then softly setting them down on the floor below me, holding my breath. No pain came. I lifted my head up, and nodded.

"Sure. I'll see you in a few minutes then?" Gray nodded, watching me wobble for a few seconds before turning back to the door.

"Yeah." I took a few steps after him, walking toward the bathroom that was right next to the room door, stepping up right behind Gray. I felt my foot slip out from under me, my eyes flashing down toward it, the light from the sun reflecting up from the floor, as I started falling forward, toward Gray's back. _Damn it! I slipped on a wet floor! _

"AGHHH!" Gray turned around at my screech, watching me slam into him, knocking him over as my weight collapsed on his chest, too much for him to hold up without bracing himself first. He didn't have any time to brace himself, so we crashed to the floor. I slammed my hands down on the floor beside his head, my eyes closed, my knees smashing into the ground alongside his, the feeling of my heart pounding in my chest the only thing I could fully register at the time.

I slowly opened my eyes, and widened them instantly, as I took in where I was. My chest, my huge breasts were barely touching his (For once) covered upper body, his heart beating right under them. Our lips were centimeters away from each other, his breath washing over my face, ruffling the red side pieces that hung down beside my head, gently grazing his cheeks. His black eyes were wide, like mine, filled with shock and surprise, a tiny trace of a blush barely coloring his cheeks. At least my lower body wasn't anywhere near his. My knees had stopped it from falling on his when we dropped to the floor. I blinked, and lifted myself up a little, giving our faces about two inches of space, getting my breath back.

"Are you okay, Gray? Did I hurt you?" I asked, gazing down at him curiously, my amber eyes soft. Gray blinked, and nodded, looking back up at me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. How about you?" He asked, looking me up and down. I nodded, and smiled affectionately.

"Yeah, I'm fine too. I'm sorry for bumping into you-" I looked up, hearing footsteps, Gray lifting his chest up slightly to look back at the door, the top of his skull barely resting on the floor. The door opened, and Lucy Heartfillia walked through, glancing around the room, her brown eyes curious.

"Where's Erza? The nurse said that she was in this room…Maybe I heard her wrong…?" I turned my head to the side, and coughed, quickly moving my head back to look up at Lucy from the floor, holding myself over Gray, smiling in an effort to cover up the awkward scene that was in front of her eyes.

"Hi!" I exclaimed cheerfully, Lucy putting her hands over her mouth as she looked down at Gray and me with a shocked look.

"Erza, Gray…WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" She asked, taking in my unwrapped upper body, with the exception of my chest, and soft blue skirt as I smiled gawkily.

"Well, uh, you see, uh…" I looked down at Gray, closing my eyes to barely open autumn brown slits, Gray looking back up at me, laying his head back down so that it was resting flat on the floor.

"How do we explain this…?" I asked softly, my arms beginning to tremble. Gray shrugged.

"How should I know? We just tell her the truth, I guess." He replied, Lucy's face turning green in seconds. She lifted her arms up to her face, and screamed.

"AAAGGGHHHH! GRAY AND ERZA WERE KISSING! AGGGHHHH!" Gray and I winced at the high pitch sound of her voice, and sighed.

"Lucy, you've got it all wrong! Gray and I were-" I started, only making Lucy scream again. Gray narrowed his eyes as he looked back at Lucy with a slightly annoyed expression.

"We weren't kissing. I helped Erza unwrap her bandages. She got discharged today. That's all." Lucy calmed down, sighing with her hand on her chest.

"Phew, thank goodness. I thought you two were making out." I laughed quietly.

"Nope. You thought wrong." I answered, smiling down at Gray, who smirked back. Lucy sighed again, then looked over at us.

"If you weren't interacting romantically, then what were you doing?" Gray snorted.

"I was unwrapping Erza's bandages for her. Weren't you listening?" He asked, giving her an angry glare. Lucy lifted her finger to her upper lip, and tilted her head to the side.

"I guess I missed that part. I was just happy you weren't…Wait, if he was unwrapping your bandages, then he touched your…EWWWW!" Gray gave her an incredulous look.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM, A PERVERT? HUH?" He questioned, scowling angrily. I laughed as Lucy flung open the door, screaming with her hands over her head while she ran through it, the door slamming behind her. I looked back down at Gray, and smiled affectionately through autumn leaf colored eyes.

"I'll see you outside."

**F L A S H B A C K E N D**

"Why're you staring at me, Erza?" Gray asked when I shook off the memory, giving me a curious look. I blinked, and smiled.

"Nothing. I was just thinking about something, that's all." I answered, holding my groceries tighter. Gray shrugged.

"Whatever. So you guys are heading to Lucy's place, right?" He asked, Lucy nodding in confirmation.

"Yeah, you want to come?" Gray smirked, and shrugged again.

"Sure, why not? Natsu's just up ahead." He replied as we started walking again. Natsu appeared shortly after we began walking, Lucy running off to walk with him, noticing the steadily, hormonally rising tension between Gray and I, as I embraced the fire in my heart.

I couldn't deny it. I had a crush on Gray Fullbuster. Of all people. Of all the people to have a crush on, it had to be Gray, one of my closest friends. At least it wasn't Lucy. Or Natsu. But that only left one person…Gray. I guessed it had to be him, if anybody. I looked over at him, and nudged his shoulder with mine. He turned to face me, and tilted his head to the side.

"What is it?" He asked. I lifted one hand from my grocery bag, and grabbed his left one in my right, gently pulling him into the trees.

"We're going to the park. With that giant tree in the middle of it." I answered, pulling him behind me, as I wove through branches and saplings carefully. If I ended up with poison ivy, I was going to scream. Gray stumbled behind me as I continued pulling him forward fearlessly, rose petals falling out of my hair, getting closer to the park, being only a block away.

I closed my eyes, and focused. _Okay, what am I going to do? What am I thinking? He'll never let me…Unless Gray feels…No, that's impossible. _I continued holding his hand, gripping it tighter, as it started slipping from my grasp slowly but surely. I turned my head to him slightly, then looked forward again. There was no way. _But since I dragged him here, I might as well get it done and over with. He didn't do it back at the hospital room. _

We broke out of the woods, and walked down the cobblestone path toward the huge tree, the sunlight waning, starting to go down and back behind the clouds in the horizon. I stopped walking when we got underneath the huge tree, letting go of Gray's hand, and setting my groceries down. He gave me a skeptical glance.

"Erza, what is it?" He asked again, as I took a step toward him, lifting my left hand up, and sliding it up the right side of his face, Gray's eye widening alongside my pinky, as he turned his eyeball toward it.

"You didn't do it back at the hospital room this morning…" I replied smoothly, taking another step closer, my right hand resting on his shoulder as I leaned my face toward his. He watched with wide eyes, unsure of what I was talking about.

"What do you mean? What didn't I do?" I smirked, my lip curling up.

"I'll _show_ you what you didn't do, Gray Fullbuster." I leaned my face even closer, my brown eyes beginning to close. His irises throbbed once, and I stopped in my tracks, my eyes widening. _This is crazy. This is GRAY. Not some other guy. This is my best friend. What the HELL am I thinking? _I pulled back as my lips barely grazed his, Gray letting go of the breath he'd been holding in. I turned away, biting my bottom lip.

What in the world was I thinking? Trying to kiss Gray like that. It was stupid, careless, and over all dumb. I was a fool for even _considering_ that he could _possibly_ have feelings for me. What was I turning into? A hormonally driven idiot?

"Erza…" A hand caught mine, and I swung my head toward him, seeing him lean in, then feeling his lips against mine, soft and gentle. My eyes widened, just as his had a few seconds earlier, as I looked at him, shocked. It took me only a few seconds to react, but when I did, I fell right into the little piece of heaven standing in front of me.

I brought my hands up, and held his face in my palms tenderly, as I kissed him back, taking another step closer, as Gray wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly. The wind ruffled my hair, which blew over to my right, gently touching the bark of the tree trunk, as the sunlight shone through it, turning the luminous red strands into a gentle autumn red-orange color, the one lonely rose petal glowing bright red in the sunlight, as it fell to the ground. I smiled as I pulled away, Gray blinking.

"Was that what you meant by what I didn't do?" He asked, expectant. I smiled, and brushed his black hair out of his face carefully.

"Yeah, that's what I meant." I answered, then leaned forward again, pulling his face forward as I closed the distance. Our lips touched again, this time harder, and deeper. I let the fire run wild, as it burned the bottom of my stomach, nervousness and lightheadedness washing over me.

"EWWWWWW! GRAY, ERZA, REALLY?" I jerked my face backwards, looking past Gray, my face completely red with embarrassment. Gray scowled, and turned around, snarling slightly.

"That idiot…" I laughed, and pressed my lips to his forehead before letting go, and picking up the groceries.

"Well, it can wait until later, okay? We've got to get these groceries to Lucy's." I grabbed Gray's hand and took off running, Gray stumbling behind me.

"HEY! Take it easy, okay?" I smiled and nodded back at him from over my shoulder, my red hair blowing into my eyes.

"You know something Gray?" I asked, pulling him behind me. Gray looked over at me, catching up.

"What is it?" He answered, glancing forward then back at me, confused. I smirked.

"She's right." I closed my eyes, nodding. In truth, Lucy was right. I did like Gray. He blinked and tilted his head to the side.

"About what?" He asked, narrowing his eyes as we ran toward them. I blinked, and smiled lovingly. _About my feelings for you…_

"About me. She's right about me. And…Consequently, my recent change of heart."


End file.
